The Old Ways
by SeraNeko-chan
Summary: Sarah successfully conquered the Labyrinth and saved herself and her little brother? Or did she? It's been seven years since her escape and her past is catching up with her.
1. Chapter 1

So...despite my better judgement, I couldn't help but start writing this story. I blame the dnd oneshot I'm writing for this Halloween, since it's partially based on the Labyrinth.

Anyways, I hope you like it and I didn't blunder too much with the folklore parts.

Please enjoy and leave a review!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Let me tell you a tale**

"His eyes were deep and mournful as he uttered his final plea: "I ask for so little. Just fear me. Love me. Do as I ask, and I shall be your slave."

The girl's breath caught and for a moment she found herself entranced by his expressive eyes. By the yearning in his gaze. But then she regained her bearings and…."

"And said yes!" A child's voice exclaimed excitedly. "She said yes and they kissed and they lived happily ever after."

"Don't interrupt, Lily," the storyteller scolded gently. "Now, may I go and finish the story?"

The little girl settled down again against her best friend, keen to hear the ending of their bedtime story.

"And spoke the final line she had learned from the book. The one that would set her and her baby brother free. "You have no power over me!" Yet, as he threw the crystal in the air and the world fell down around her, something niggled at the back of her mind. A feeling that told her she'd made a terrible mistake. She couldn't explain it, and so she stifled it. Buried it far in the back of her mind. And finally her world returned back to normal as the clock struck twelve."

"Whaaaat!" Lily exclaimed as she jumped on the bed. "Why! He loved her! She would be a queen!"

Sarah carefully pulled on Lily's braid and made her calm down again. Thankfully Toby had been so gobsmacked by the ending of the story that he had frozen on the bed. Those two together could raise hell if they wanted to.

"Because she still considered herself to be an ordinary girl. One that didn't belong in that wonderful, magical world — despite how much she wanted too — and certainly wasn't worthy of a King." Sarah tried to explain. It wasn't the truth. But close enough not too matter to two little children.

"So she left? That's not fair!"

Lily obviously still couldn't believe how the story had ended. Sarah smiled in reminiscence. How often she'd uttered that phrase in the Labyrinth alone. She'd tried to break the habit after, but clearly Toby's best friend had heard her say it enough to repeat it now.

"Life isn't fair. She thought she was making the right choice. She did have a little brother to think about, you know," Sarah tried to defend her choice to the agitated five year-old.

"But she ate." Toby had finally woken enough from his stupor to speak up. Seeing Sarah's baffled expression he repeated it. "She ate. The peach, she ate it. Aunt Karen said if you eat with the Fae, you hafta stay."

Sarah had no idea that Lily's mom told them about Fae laws when the children had a sleepover at Lily's house. But she suppressed her dread and put on a smile. "That might be true..."

Lily interrupted her. "Yeah! He should kiss her and then she would stay!"

Toby ewwed and Sarah blushed as she imagined what would have happened if He had. Trying not to dwell on the possibility, she firmly told the children it was time to sleep.

The children cuddled under their covers with minimal fuss. Despite their earlier outbursts they were quite tired and Sarah had babysat enough on them that she had well-established routine by now.

After tucking them in and singing one last lullaby, Sarah tiptoed out of the room and closed the door behind her softly before sliding down the wall as her legs refused to support her any longer.

She had of course done her own research once she got back. Well, as much as one could speak about research when dealing with vague myths and stories. The Labyrinth, and its king, had refused to fade from her thoughts and she had found herself falling back into memories at the oddest of times.

The memories had held her back from being interested in boys, despite Irene's encouragements to go out more. For how could a mortal boy, pimples and all, measure up to a Goblin King? How could adolescent girls forge the same bonds as those she'd fought with? There was simply no comparison possible. And her guilt for wishing Toby away had quickly transformed in genuine affection, so she did not mind spending all her free time with him and Lily.

The niggling feeling that had told her she'd made a mistake had not faded either, instead it had steadily grown stronger. It had kept her from attending a prestigious university far away and choose a local college instead, where she had majored in Literature.

The feeling had urged her to look up Irish and Celtic mythology and folklore. At first she had firmly placed Him in the Unseelie Court, leftover resentment clouding her judgment. However, as she was forced to examine her every minute in the Labyrinth and got a more in-depth knowledge of Fae/Sidhe/Faeries, her opinion changed drastically.

Sure He had tried to trick her and generally make her give up, but that was to be expected with Fae. Tricks and illusions were the first things stories warned about. If he did belong to the Seelie Court, or was associated with them, he could not simply have returned Toby. It would have been against the Rules. What exactly those Rules were she had no idea. But she had grown a sense for what was and wasn't Right. She had called upon the Goblin King to take away a child. It stood to reason that she could not just reverse her demand, even if she hadn't meant it. But…she had. At least in the moment she _had_ meant it.

Sarah stood. Distracted, she walked to her parents' room and started pacing in front of the windows.

As for the food… That was the one thing she dearly hoped the stories were wrong about. Because if it was… But that couldn't be, right? He would never have let her leave if that law did indeed count. Nor had she had any contact with the Otherworld since she had gotten back. That's what she tried to tell herself at least.

She hadn't kept up the contact with her Otherworldly friends. They had been a constant reminder of Him and the offer she had foolishly refused. Seeing them, talking to them had hurt more than she was capable of hiding. In the end she had stopped calling them and had reasoned to herself that she was too busy anyway to alleviate her guilt.

However, as she began to read more and more about the Fae, she got into certain habits. She left out food and milk at night, hidden from her father and Irene and kept the house warm at night as well, citing poor metabolism and poor circulation as a reason.

She had noticed an immediate change. Misplaced keys found their own way back to their hooks. The shelves were never dusty and no spider webs had to be cleared away. Sarah could swear she could sometimes hear giggling. Also, if she forgot her offerings or they were found and removed, revenge followed instantly. Disappearing keys and wallets, eaten sweets and cookies, tripping over air, …

She could swear a white owl followed her if she was out after sunset. The animal never came close enough to determine if it was normal or not, but still left her a little paranoid. And warm on the inside, though she'd never admit that. She treasured the thought that Jareth might still care about her, that he hadn't forgotten either. That an ordinary teen might have left an impression on the _Goblin King_ , even if it wasn't a very good one.

Those were the days she wished for a different ending. She'd told Lily that she had said no because she hadn't felt worthy. In truth she simply hadn't understood. Hadn't understood what He was offering. He had lived up to her expectations a little too well. In her innocence she had cast Him as the villain and had been unable to see beyond that. It wasn't until two years later she had understood His offer at last.

At fifteen He was the scariest and most intimidating person she had come across. At seventeen He was still intimidating, but also the most handsome. At twenty-two she wished for nothing more than the ability to turn back time and throw herself at Him as she accepted His offer. Well, perhaps not throw herself at him. She had too much self-respect and not enough courage to be so forward.

The clock chimed twelve, and with a start Sarah realized that it was exactly five years since she had refused the offer to become the Goblin Queen. A strange sound left her throat, half sob and half laugh. Five years and she was still hung up on her greatest villain and hero rolled into one.

"So I should have kissed you, huh?"

* * *

Seven years he had waited. An eternity spent in agony. Soothed marginally by following her around in beast form and having his goblins spy on her. Her new maturity and knowledge of his kind pleased him greatly, but also hit home how young she had been when he made his first offer. Enchanted as he had been by her inner fire and the beauty he had seen blossoming, he'd justified his actions by telling himself that his kind had taken brides far younger than her.

Most caved before his ethereal beauty and aura of power, her courage had risen at his very attempt to intimidate her; her stubbornness not allowing her to be frightened at his will. It had intoxicating for a Being used to others caving before him with a snap of his fingers. Her intelligence and compassion only sealed the deal further.

And though he despised the trickster ways to woo a mortal mate of his father's court, he too had fallen back on them when his attempts had been stonewalled by her stubbornness and youth. Ignorance of the law excuses no one. She was at fault for not doing her homework before using ancient words to summon him.

Still her had lost her; his attempts at intimidating her more successful than he'd thought and her innocence preventing her from truly understanding what he was offering. Not forever of course. His deceit had seen to that. But seven years felt like an age, when all he could do was follow her around and sent his stealthiest goblins after her. Not even her friends could give him updates, because she had stopped contacting them before the first year was over.

The past year had felt the longest. He yearned to have her in his arms. To finally cure her of her innocence. Because the Laws that bound him now bound her too. They would have kept her pure for him. Kept her close to home and her little brother, his heir. For as soon as Sarah had chosen to run the Labyrinth to save her brother, she was considered his mother. It didn't matter to the magic of the Lands that she had not born him. She had accepted responsibility to care for him; to face dangers untold and hardships unnumbered; called him child instead of brother. Like its natives, the Lands' magic was not straightforward, but riddled with trickery. It was alive in a way; sentient enough to understand intent and interpreted that to suit its own wishes.

Jareth watched the clock crawl towards the final hour. His impatience to see his bride and finally make her his slowing down time even more. Bored and irritated, he took out a crystal and let it seek out ancient. Every time mortals spoke those ancient words —once used in prayer and curse, but now lost and mostly forgotten — his crystals could make contact with them. Create cracks in the veil that separated their words, through which Jareth could spy.

A pleasing voice rang through the throne room, a voice he could never forget for it haunted him day and night. "And thus the girl called out: "I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now." And the Goblin King carried out her wish, for when she turned around the child was gone and only an empty crib behind." Ooh's and ahh's from children followed.

For a moment his heart stopped and he feared she had learned nothing from her story, but he wasn't summoned to the mortal world, nor did he feel magic doing its thing, and he realized she was merely telling a story, their _story_. Captivated he peered into the crystal to see his bride. She had been very careful to avoid any words that might summon her, so to see her _now_ mere hours before he'd come to claim her… His irritation disappeared as did his boredom, and he settled in to listen her tell their story.

It was most certainly an eye-opener to hear her version of the events that had transpired between the two of them. That she found him attractive — her description of him didn't leave a doubt about that — and knew she had been wrong to refuse his offer. That she had wanted to accept, but thought herself unworthy. And had been far too innocent to understand what was offered. The last was left unsaid, but he saw it in her eyes, read it in her body language. It was a balm to his aching heart.

The children impressed him. His heir was, as expected intelligent for his age, though his diction could do with some work. Nothing that couldn't be remedied by Afon, his own former teacher. The girl, Lily, he did not recognize, but the bond between her and Toby was very strong for their age. Sarah tugged the girl's braid and for a moment her glamour shifted. How interesting. Now he wouldn't have to separate the two, which would undoubtedly pain both because of the strength of their attachment to each other.

Their exclamations amused him, especially Lily's. Not fair indeed. And her suggestion was a sound one. He wouldn't have acted on it seven years ago. He had some morals after all and he drew the line at forcing himself upon the unwilling. A bit hypocritical perhaps, since he had irrevocably bound Sarah to him without her consent, but she could still refuse him. Nothing could _make_ her accept him and a second refusal would sever their bond.

Impatient, he listened to the clock ticking closer and closer to midnight as he watched Sarah pace in the room they first met in. He wondered what she was struggling with internally and silently hoped she was thinking about him.

Finally, the clock struck and he disappeared from his throne room and appeared behind his bride as a choked sob left her mouth. Seeing no better way to break the ice, he got straight to the point. "So I should have kissed you, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

Stress seems to be an excellent motivator for my muse. Most of this was written after 9 hours of intense practicals — which are more of a mess than all the Labyrinth's goblins together could create.

I hope you enjoy! And please leave a review on the way out.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: All of me**

"So I should have kissed you, huh?"

Sarah whirled around feeling breathless and lightheaded. It couldn't be! Not now, after all this time. She couldn't help the accusatory "Jareth!" that slipped from her lips, though she regretted it almost immediately. She didn't want him to get angry. Not when she was so powerless in the face of his magic.

And his ethereal beauty didn't help her regain her footing. Her memory really hadn't done him justice, hadn't been able to capture the otherworldliness that enhanced his already stunning features. She had forgotten the fluffy featheriness of his spiked hairdo. The way his jacket emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

Only the fear of making a fool of herself kept her gaze firmly on his face. The urge to peek — to let her eyes drift south to see if she had done the rest of him such injustice, and if his trousers were as tight as she remembered them, — was almost too much and it took all of her self-control to squash it down.

Thankfully he didn't seem to take offense at her rude response. Instead, he smirked, his eyes twinkling with mirth as he stepped closer. Sarah backed away on instinct. The predatory feel he gave off was putting her on edge. She wasn't sure if this was a new development or if he had looked as dangerous the last time and her youthful naivety hadn't picked up on the vibes he was giving off. Somehow, the latter seemed way more likely.

It irked her that he thought he could intimidate her so easily, like she was still a teenager and not a grown up woman. Her defiance showed in the sharpening of her eyes, the tilt of her head. She stopped and stood her ground.

"What are you doing here? I won! And I haven't wished anything since! I was very careful not to!" Her voice was sharp and indignant, but she took care not to shout. She didn't want to wake Toby and Lily. Not now, when he was here.

He had stopped walking. "Sarah, Sarah. Haven't you learned anything since I let you go?"

It wasn't anyone's business that his voice made her want to melt to the floor and she forcibly had to repress a shudder. Certainly not his. At the same time his confidence infuriated her. Oh, how she wanted to slap that smirk of his face. Or kiss it away…

Her chin went up a fraction of an inch. "I've learned plenty, _Your Majesty._ Though I don't see what that has to do with you." Their verbal sparring only heightened the fire between them. It gave Sarah a thrill like no other to argue with such a powerful being. She knew he wouldn't kill her on the spot for her insolence, but he was powerful enough to make her life difficult without harming even a hair on her head.

"The child was right you know." Was his only answer.

Sarah gasped. Her heart skipped a beat and dread settled in her gut. ' _No! It couldn't be!'_

"You ate," he stated it with all the certainty of someone who knew he had won at last. And he had.

Sarah closed her eyes, trying to keep breathing. Keep the panic away. "What does that mean? For me? For Toby?" She had to know. Not knowing was killing her. Yet… she feared what she was going to hear. The finality of it.

He stepped closer and this time she met him head-on. Mostly because fear was paralyzing her legs, though her eyes remained as defiant as ever. He leant in and Sarah was thankful her legs seemed to have transformed into sticks, because she'd be a puddle on the floor otherwise. "You are mine."

Outrage won it from lust and fear. Before she realized what she'd done, her hand had made contact with his face and a loud slap echoed through the room. Clinging on to her fury, she shouted, "I'm not a thing! You don't own me!" She threw caution to the wind as anger clouded her mind.

"That wasn't what I meant, dear. And please, do stop behaving like brat. It doesn't become you, or your age." He tsk-ed and took her hand in a firm grip, ignoring the bruise that was forming. She already regretted it. "And before you start, yes it is fair. You were of age in my lands when I let you run for the child. My actions might not have been entirely honest, but, sweetheart, ignorance of the law is not an excuse, not even in this world."

He was right, and she knew it. Didn't mean he had to be so high and mighty about it. Ruthlessly, she pushed down her instinct to throw a tantrum. She was twenty-two, she might as well act it. "What does it mean then?" Sarah was very proud that her voice didn't betray her anger or confusion.

He smirked again, slow and sensually. It did amazing things to Sarah's lower parts. "Well, that is _the_ question isn't it?" He pulled her closer until she hit his chest and they were face to face. Sarah's cheeks bloomed with warmth. "You ran the labyrinth, ate its food, befriended its inhabitants, and claimed kingdom and power equal to mine." She shivered at his hot breath on his ear. "The Goblin King has but one equal, Sarah. His Queen."

He pulled back again, just a little but enough to let her breath, as he sensed her rising confusion and alarm.

Sarah was on the verge of a panic attack, her sensible nature clashing with inner pleasure. She didn't know! It wasn't excuse, but how could she have known?! Why did she want him so much, even when his ruthlessness and inhuman morals were so clear to her, when it clashed with everything she had been raised with? She had never hated him so much as in that moment, when it dawned that she didn't have a choice, not anymore. And somehow she doubted the choice had ever been hers to begin with. It wasn't fair!

And yet… She yearned for him with every cell she had. Her memory really hadn't done him justice and somehow she had also forgot the magnetic effect his presence had on her. Her whole body tingled just from being so near to him. As a teen she had repressed her crush, believing it impossible and forbidden. As a woman, that infatuation had turned into love and being in his presence only fuelled those flames.

"Why?" She hated how small and vulnerable her voice sounded. Sarah Williams wasn't a dainty damsel in distress. She was strong and fierce, and she didn't let anyone walk over her.

 _Why me_ , she asked. _Why come back now. Why did you force me into this? Why the lies and deceit?_

She saw in his eyes he understood. But he didn't let her go. And she begrudgingly respected his steadfastness. He wouldn't apologize or take back his decision — she suspected he couldn't, even if he wanted to, which he obviously didn't. But he wouldn't bait her on purpose anymore.

"You couldn't care less about the dreams I offered you to take your mind off your brother. Yes, you were a brat about it, but you still stood up for what you believed was right. That's a rarity in the Fae world. Furthermore, you didn't fall head over heels at my beauty. You acknowledged it to yourself, and then firmly fixed me as the villain in your own fairy tale. The more I watched you, the deeper I fell. I had to have you, by any means possible, because I saw my future with you and refused to let it escape. I'm not proud of what I did. But I do not regret it either." His voice trembled with emotion.

Sarah was touched by his confession. It was slightly creepy, but she thought she could understand a little if she placed herself in his shoes and skewed morals. She let her anger flow away — if she could escape her fate, she might as well do her best to make this work.

"How much time do I have to say goodbye? I can't leave Toby without explaining where I'm going. I can't do that to him," she asked.

"You won't have to say goodbye to Toby." Sarah looked up sharply at Jareth. He had said it casually, too casually and it made alarms go off in her head.

"What do you mean?" Her tone was accusatory, but she didn't back down. She didn't like the implications of what he'd said, and how.

"I told you, Sarah. Magic considers him your son, and therefore he is mine as well. My firstborn and Heir. He will be coming with us."

"No! Dad and Irene… They wouldn't survive the heartbreak! You mustn't!" Sarah was on the verge of hyperventilating. As much as she and Irene didn't see eye to eye, she couldn't do that to the woman. And her dad, he had been a right mess after Linda had asked for a divorce. They had been his world. And now Toby and Irene were his world as well. The grief and despair…she didn't think he would get over it, ever.

Jareth dragged her back into his arms, which calmed her strangely enough. She no longer felt like she couldn't breath, though she was still panicking slightly. "Hush, love. They won't remember either of you, no one will. That's what happens when Fae steal people away. Stop making a fuss about the inevitable. You weren't happy, haven't been since you came back to this world, and you know it. The paleness of Human reality couldn't compare to what you saw in the Otherworld and you couldn't get past that. Couldn't be satisfied with the extraordinarily ordinary world you'd found yourself in."

She did calm down. He was right and she had to stop lying to herself. If she didn't really want this, she would have accepted her place in the human realm and moved on with her life. She would have dated, made friends, and let Toby grow up on his own. She had hoped and feared a reunion with her King, but mostly dreamed of it.

"I ask for so little. Just fear me. Love me. Do as I ask, and I shall be your slave," he repeated his words of seven years ago.

Instead of a threat, she recognized it as the promise it really was. Could hear what was left unspoken. She didn't fully comprehend the wealth he offered, but she got most of it and her imagination filled in the blanks.

"I do." Sarah felt the magic taking hold, binding both with ancient words to ancient vows. And she knew, beyond all doubt, that they were bound — in Life as well as Death.

Jareth began humming — the one he'd sung to her in the crystal ballroom, and Sarah felt her eyes fluttered close. Exhaustion from shock and panicking took their toll as she sagged against him. The last thing she noticed was how easily he lifted her in his arms before darkness took her.

* * *

The Labyrinth's interest peaked as she felt her King return and the good mood he was in. she became giddy — insofar magical lands can be _giddy_ — when she sensed he had their Queen and Heir with him. Instantly the stones of the castle, the labyrinth's walls and walkways, and the statues began to shine, as if they just had been cleaned. Gates and doors opened on their own before the King. Flowers began to bloom amongst the weeds and bushes. Even the Bog smelled a little better. (Though only a very little.)


End file.
